Convincing the Client

[Clyde Hollinger]

Friends,

Don Rose asked me to elaborate on my earlier email (see the bottom of this email).  As I considered how to respond I realized I didn't know any other ways, but I still think punitive charges is not a good way.

I cannot think of a reasonable way to convince everyone to have regular service.  And unless a technician follows every single recommendation from manufacturers, home technicians, doctors, etc. regarding regular maintenance, isn't it hypocritical to get upset with people who don't service their pianos regularly just because we happen to be piano technicians?

What I was probably thinking is that if the client is given the proper information, the technician should be able to keep more of them long-term.  Now I will admit up front that my inactive file is as large as my active file, but my active file is large enough that this month was the first time since last July that I didn't have a waiting list.  I am told that it costs a whole lot less to keep a client than to find a new one, and I
believe it.  Yet it appears to me that a great many technicians rarely do more than send out a card when the next tuning is due.

I was in a class at a convention where the clinician said he mails out cards and gets about a 45% response.  I haven't checked, but I think my response is more like 80%-90%, but this is after I've been fulltime ten years and those who desire infrequent service have been largely weeded out.

Briefly stated, my method consists of this:
Before the very first appointment, send a letter titled "Information for First-Time Clients" which includes why the piano should be serviced regularly and informs them we are set up to discuss their preference with them at the first appointment.  Then we CALL them according to that, and the wording you use is important, but I've written that here several times before.  What I find is that a good percentage of first-time calls (75%?) are
willing to establish regular service if I handle it this way.  The ones who drop out are mostly those whose pianos fall into disuse.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT
Lititz, PA, USA

Clyde Hollinger wrote:

> There is more than one way to convince a client to have 6-month or annual tunings
> than to hit the wallet.  Nearly all my clients fall into the regular-service category, and they do it because they either care about their pianos, or they want it to sound/work well all the time (or both).